ERIC HASERT/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS
Pastor Larry Masters (right) and Guy Calvert, both of the Jensen Beach Christian Church, pick up 50 frozen turkeys and food supplies from the Treasure Coast Food Bank warehouse in Fort Pierce on Tuesday to help aid needy families for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. "We already have people lined up at the church for them," Calvert said. "We get about 150 families a week. Last month there was 1,647 individuals fed through the Treasure Coast Food Bank and our client chapter, so there's need out there."

ERIC HASERT/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS
Judith Cruz (left), executive director at the Treasure Coast Food Bank in Fort Pierce, and Casey Gaban, the food bank's food, fund and time coordinator, assemble packages of bread to be distributed to their partner agencies for the Thanksgiving holiday "We're helping with turkeys to over 200 partners," Cruz said. "We'll be distributing hopefully over 5,000 turkeys and we'll be feeding in the next week or so well over 110,000 to 120,000 people on the Treasure Coast."

The hurricane season may be almost over, but a perfect storm is brewing as Thanksgiving approaches: a tempest of need that threatens the holiday.

"We have a lot of families that are struggling for the first time this year," said Krista Garofalo, community investment manager for the Fort Pierce-based Treasure Coast Food Bank. "In fact, a lot of people who used to help us, who used to be our supporters, now need our assistance. That combination of greater need and fewer people to donate makes it even harder for us to help everyone this Thanksgiving; but we're trying the best we can."

The food bank's goal, in a drive that began Oct. 31 and will run through Dec. 31, is to provide 5,000 turkeys and 500,000 pounds of food for the holiday season to be distributed by its 200-plus member agencies in St. Lucie, Martin, Indian River and Okeechobee counties.

Elizabeth Barbella, CEO of the Stuart-based House of Hope, a nonprofit that assists the needy, said, "The number of individuals and families coming to us for help has doubled over the last year."

"And leading up to the holidays, the number is greater than double," Barbella said. "We've got a number of people who have just barely been making it up to this point, and for them, the idea of being able to provide for Christmas, especially if they have children, is simply out of reach."

Echoing Garofalo's viewpoint, Barbella said the need has increased as donations have gone down.

"Martin County is a very generous community," she said, "but gifts are changing. The dollar amounts are reduced and the donations of food are less than they've been. With the doubling of the need and the amount of food going out, it means our shelves are barer than they've been in many, many years."

Last year the nonprofit gave out more than 800 turkeys and other food for Thanksgiving meals to families in northwest Indian River County. So far this year, the group has collected 150 turkeys, and the giveaway is scheduled for 4 p.m. Nov. 20 at the Operation Hope headquarters on County Road 512.

"We're getting lots of calls from people who say they need help," Zermeno said, "but not so many calls from people who say they want to help."

Now in its 11th year, the Operation Hope giveaway has become an event people depend on, Zermeno said.

"But with the economy the way it is, lots of people without jobs and money so tight for so many people, this year is especially hard on families," he said. "With just a few more days to go, I'm hoping for a miracle."

Short of a miracle, Zermeno noted that Operation Hope has begun accepting donations of chickens as well as turkeys.

"Maybe some people can't afford to give a turkey," he said, "but they can give a chicken. The people we help aren't picky; they're grateful to get a chicken."

HOW TO GET FOOD

Turkey giveaways and Thanksgiving meals on the Treasure Coast include: